It took Cavaliers coach Mike Brown nine games before he pulled the plug on the combination, and moved Waiters to the bench.

No one is saying Waiters isn’t the team’s best shooting guard. Most NBA observers think he is by a large margin.

Brown said he was just following his coaching instincts.

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“I thought this was best for the team,” Brown said after practice Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Dion brings a lot to our second unit. A lot of times, he’ll be on the floor at the end of the game. It doesn’t matter who starts the game. How many minutes are you getting? How effective are you with both lineups?”

Brown said Waiters and Irving aren’t just learning how to play together, they are learning how to play.

Waiters is in his second year in the NBA, Irving in his third.

“They’ve had some moments where they’ve played very well together on the floor,” Brown said. “They are two young guys trying to figure out how to play the right way themselves, no matter who else is out on the floor. They are getting better learning how to play with each other.”

Being moved to the bench has fueled rumors the Cavs might entertain offers to deal Waiters at the Feb. 20 trade deadline. They might live to regret that move, especially if Waiters continues to have games like he did on Sunday against Memphis.

Waiters had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in the Cavs’ 91-83 overtime victory over the Grizzlies. The downside was that he shot 7 of 21 from the field, 1 of 5 from behind the arc.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Waiters seemed to thrive while on the court with Irving, a two-time All-Star.

“We’ve just got to play off one another,” Waiters said. “If we continue to do that, we’ll be way better.

“Now when we attack, we’re looking for one another. We’re playing off each other and we’re feeding off one another.”

Can this work?

Critics say it won’t work because Irving and Waiters are so similar. They need the ball in their hands to be effective. They are both high-volume scorers.

Irving, who had a game-high 28 points and six assists against the Grizzlies, said they are learning to play together.

“We’re just being honest with each other out there, telling each other what we see out there,” he said.

“He’s looking to me for advice. I’m looking to him for advice, different things we see out there. Earlier in the season, we probably wouldn’t have said anything to one another. It’s just continuing to get better and playing off one another.”

The two players supposedly clashed during a players-only meeting in Minnesota on Nov. 13. That’s when Brown yanked Waiters out of the starting lineup. But Irving went so far as to call Waiters “one of his good friends.”

“Going out there and having one of your good friends out there, we can play off one another,” Irving said.

“He’s got so much talent. Me just going to the corner and let him go to work. Or me and him playing off one another, coming off the top of the key, playing pick-and-roll, just looking for each another and also trying to make plays for our teammates.”

The Cavs (18-33) have won two in a row heading into their contest against Sacramento at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Q. The last time they face the Kings, they lost by 44 points.

“You remember,” Cavs forward Luol Deng said. “Right now, it’s about us. We played two good games. We want to keep it rolling. The last two games have brought our confidence back to us.

“Since I’ve been here, that was the best home game we’ve had. That’s the team we want to be.”

Brown said he has yet to discuss the 124-80 loss to the Kings on Jan. 12.

“I may address it with them,” he said. “I might not. If any of our guys don’t remember that ... it was a tough one.”

Injury report

Center Anderson Varejao (back), swingman C.J. Miles (sore right foot), Deng (Achilles) and guard Carrick Felix (knee) were held out of practice on Monday.

“Andy is a little banged up,” Deng said.

Varejao had an MRI on his back and Miles had an X-ray on his foot. Both images were negative.

Deng is longing for the All-Star break, which starts Thursday, to help with his Achilles.

“The All-Star break will be huge for me,” he said. “I’ll be able to give it some rest. I’m hoping to get back to 100 percent or close to it.”

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@morningjournal.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsInsider.